A Son From Another Life
by SavedByGrace82514
Summary: This story will be merged with A New Life. I found that many things were parallel in between them and I feel like they compliment each other perfectly. Look for A new Life to see more of Josh's story


Well, here it is. The revised version of Chapter 1. I just want to take a moment and thank everyone who reviewed and answer any questions they might have.__

TheOmaticayaClan: Thank you for noticing that. I hope I've corrected it in this rewrite. Thank you for reviewing!

Chawk1993: I actually read through the original script and I had this idea that became this story. But as I started to write, I could not come up with any names so I used it from the original script. Thank you for thinking it was good. I will continue writing this story since it seems many people like it. Again thank you! :)

Creative-writing-girl-13: Yes, Neither can I. It will be very interesting. But that won't happen until later in the story. Thank you for reviewing!

FireChildSlytherin5: Thank you for thinking this was a good plot. I hope I will continue to please. This rewrite should clarify some of the issues with the structure and grammar of the story to make it enjoyable to all. Thank you for reviewing!

Dracoess: Well I hope he doesn't. That would totally ruin my story!( Oh crap! Josh is coming toward me right now. Sh! Don't tell him! Oh good. He walked away.) Anyway thanks for reviewing!

Bigoldfrog: If you thought the first posting of this was good, wait till you read this one. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reviewing!

Also Thanks to all those who read this and didn't review.

Disclaimer: On My profile. Check it out.

_**A Son From Another Life**_

_**Chapter 1: Enlistment**_

The year is 2167. Many things have changed on Earth. Though life still continues in its dismal state, the world is close to collapsing. With the Pandoran Revolution, ( this will have its own facebook page once I get around to making it. Add it if you have a facebook!) the flow of Unobtanium has been cut. Entire cities continually experience power outages and clean water shortages run rampant everywhere. The Earth became dependent upon it and in its shortages, we have sealed our own destruction. Every other natural resource has been used. Many have tried to find replacements for Unobtanium but none have worked. The whole world is in despair, for there is no hope.

But for one person, Josh Sully, hope lies just around the corner. But to reach it, he must first lose someone whom he loves.

Everyone shuffles down the over-crowded sidewalks, minding their own business. All of them wear exopacks. Even Earth's atmosphere was no longer clean to breathe.

Josh Sully is among the endless throng that continually crowd Earth's streets. Overhead the endless _Whoosh_ of Mag-lev trains continued in their never ending symphony. He didn't take notice of anyone around him or the people that bumped into him as they continued their dismal life.

Josh looked up and saw a billboard for the RDA. Little did he know that the RDA would be responsible for the change in his life that would affect him forever. He scowled and continued on his way. His mother worked for the RDA and he knew she was not happy. She worked at an RDA run power plant that was trying to keep the power shortages under control. Often she worked for days at a time and when she came home, she usually slept for an entire day. Then she would wake up and work another couple of days.

Not very much of a family life was there for Josh. He usually spent his days wondering the streets. He was attacked on several occasions but he fought off his attacker and continued on his way. For a seventeen year old, he had quite a reputation on the street. Anyone who was foolish enough to attack him never got the chance to regret it. This was surviving on the streets.

One day when Josh was home, waiting for his mother, he received a call that he never wanted but knew one day it was going to come. The man on the phone had said that there was a reactor meltdown at the power plant where his mother worked. She had closed the reactor down but she received a lethal dose of radiation. The man expressed his sorrow then told Josh the hospital where she was at. He immediately hung up and grabbed his hat on his way out the door.

He reached the hospital in record time. Upon asking the desk clerk where his mother was, he climbed the steps and found her room. While he could have taken the elevator, he thought that the elevator was for wimps not for men.

As he walked through the door his knees threatened to buckle out from under him. His mother lay there on the bed, covered in a whole array of sensors. The monitors sustaining her for now were beeping at random intervals indicating she was fine.

Josh sat beside his dying mother, unable to do anything to save her. As she lay there, her life slowly draining out her, she gave him some advice for the coming trials in his life.

" Son," she said weakly. " I am dying. There is no hope for me now. And seeing as how I'm dying there something I need to tell you. Do you remember Jake Sully, the man who betrayed his race to save Pandora?"

" Yeah," Josh said. " But what does that have to do with anything?"

" Have you noticed that both my name and your name end with Sully?" She asked, fully expecting him to finally make the connection.

" I had," he answered. " But what does that have to do with us?"

" Josh," she said gravely. " He's your father."

Josh was speechless for a moment then finally found his voice. " You told me my father fought and died in the war. You told me he took a bullet to the lower back. Killed him instantly."

" What I told you was partially true," she replied. " He was shot in the back. He is a paraplegic. He was confined to a wheelchair, never to walk again. What I told you was true, to a certain degree."

"'To a Certain Degree?'" Josh practically screamed. " I have lived for seventeen years and you never deemed it important to tell me he was alive? Or to tell me now that he considered a traitor to the human race?"

" I was protecting you," she said, carefully choosing her words. Tears began to well in her eyes. " I just wanted you to be safe. Your father spent a few years together and got married. We truly loved each other. You were a result of the love that we shared. He was so proud that he was finally a father."

Her voice broke for a moment and Josh grabbed her hand. " Then he was injured," she continued. " He felt like he couldn't take care of both of us. That's when I started working. One day, news came that his brother, Thomas, had been killed. His brother was part of the Avatar program. They offered him his brother's place since they were identical twins. He wasn't going to take it even though he would get an Avatar and regain the use of his legs. He was too concerned about you. He loved you so much. In the end though, I convinced him to go. I got a few messages, some for me, some for you, from him. To access them, type SULLY into this computer and you'll see the ones he left for you. Anyway, I received news a few days ago that the ISV Venture Star had returned. I have heard that there are some people on it that owe your father because he saved their lives."

She paused for a minute before continuing. " Find them," She said. " They will help you get off of this dying world and start a new life, far away from here. You were meant to go to Pandora. For what purpose, I know not. All I know is you were meant to go and find your father."

" What about you?" he asked shakily, already knowing the answer he was going to get.

" Josh, I'm already dead," she replied, tears glinting in her eyes and running down her cheeks. " My body just doesn't know it yet. It's only a matter of time. Besides, I would never leave Earth. It's all I've ever known. My life is over. And you know, I've lived long enough to raise you to be independent. After I've passed on, don't grieve for me for we will meet again on the other side. All this talking has tired me out. I need to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning. And never forget, I love you."

The last sentence she spoke was a whisper. Her head nodded as soon as the words left her mouth.

" I love you too," he said after a moment.

Josh stared at his mother. He was still trying to process all that she had told him. He decided to see what the messages were that his father had sent him. He put the password into the computer and clicked on the message that said 'Josh.'

The screen went blank for a minute then a man in a wheelchair came into focus. The man looked to be in his early twenties but his eyes looked like they were hardened by years of experience. When the man began speaking, his voice was laden with exhaustion.

" I know this must be hard for you son," the man said. " I assume your mother has told you that I am your father, the bastard that betrayed the human race and the Na'vi. The Na'vi forgave me but the humans did not. They never will. Anyway, I thought I should be the one to tell you. Josh, You may not accept me as your father because I left you and your mother but I did so at her bidding. Please forgive me. I love you so much and now I don't know if I will ever see you again. I can only pray every night that someday I will get to see you and be the father I always wanted to be. Until then, Josh always remember this: No matter where I am, No matter how far apart we are, I will always, _always_, love you. Goodbye, my son."

The image faded and Josh could see his own face in the screen. His cheeks were streaked with tears. After years of thinking his father had abandoned him, to finally find out he loved him was almost too much to bear.

Suddenly the lights flickered then came back on. All the monitors hooked to Josh's mother began to beep. He set the computer down and ran out of the room to find a doctor. He ran down the hallway to the front reception desk of that floor. He saw a man in a white lab coat standing there talking to the lady who was on duty at the time.

" Are you a doctor?" Josh asked breathlessly.

" Yes," The man replied. " My name is Doctor Max Patel. What can I help you with?"

" I was sitting with my mother," Josh said. " when all the monitors hooked up to her started to go off. It happened just after the lights flickered. What happened?"

" Take me to her room," Max said quickly. " I'll tell you on the way."

They began walking back to Josh's mother's room with Josh in the lead.

" The reason those monitors," Max began. " were beeping is because the monitors reset after a power failure. Let's just hope the power doesn't go out completely."

As soon as Max had finished speaking the lights failed. They were plunged into complete darkness. Max reached into his lab coat and fished out a flashlight. They continued on until they came to Josh's mother's door. They stopped in front of her door for they heard what sounded like someone was rooting around in her room. A beam of light then could be seen spilling from underneath the door.

Max turned and handed the flashlight to Josh.

" Here take this," he said. " Put the light on me."

Josh kept the light trained on Max as he walked over to the wall. He hit the wall in a series of taps. The wall retracted, revealing two pistols and four clips. Max reached in and grabbed a pistol. He slammed a clip into it and pulled back the hammer.

" Here," Max said handing him the other pistol and a clip. " You might need this."

" Why?" Josh asked, suddenly suspicious.

" Because," Max replied. " There are people out there who want to kill you, just because you are Jake Sully's son. They want to kill you because they think you will side with your father and wreck even more havoc than your father did. You do know how to use one of these, right?"

Josh looked down at the gun in his hand. It was a modified WASP revolver. This gun was capable of taking down an elephant with one sabot round. It would be more than adequate to kill an intruder. Josh slammed the clip into the gun and with practiced efficiency he drew back the slide and chambered a round.

" I guess I got my answer," Max said impressed. " Where did you learn to use one of those?"

" When you live on the streets as long as I have," Josh replied. " You learn to survive."

Max shrugged and walked to the door. He slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. Two men in all black stood over Josh's mother. They did not take notice of Max and Josh as they crept in silently.

Josh watched in horror as one of the men fill a syringe with some kind of liquid. Josh decided he had enough. He put the cross-hairs of the pistol right over the man's heart. Josh pulled the trigger and quickly re-aimed. The bullet sped toward the man and hit him square in the chest. Blood sprayed out everywhere as the man fell.

The second man turned quickly and drew out a small holdout pistol. The man fired before Josh had a chance to aim again.

The bullet from the small gun hit Josh in the thigh. Immediately blinding pain rushed up his leg. He set his teeth and pulled the trigger of his gun.

The man fell down to his knees, clutching his neck as crimson blood shot out of him. Slowly he fell on his face and the flow of blood stopped.

Max stood in the doorway behind Josh in total utter shock.

" What!" Josh asked past his pain. " I told you how I learned this. When you live on the streets as long as I have, you learn to survive."

" Let me take care of your leg," Max said, pushing past his shock. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a handkerchief. He tied it around Josh's leg then stood up.

Josh turned and looked at his mother, suddenly concerned about her. Her face was the calmest he had ever seen it. At first he thought she was asleep but closer inspection revealed she was dead. In the time it had taken him to reach Max and come back, she had passed.

Slowly he sank to his knees, overcome by his grief. His vision began to blur and he realized that he was crying. He put his hands on his head and sobbed. His mother was the only thing he had left, and now she was gone.

Josh felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to find Max staring down on him, sorrow evident in his eyes.

" Those men you shot," Max said. " were RDA employees. They were looking for you. Now you know, the threat is real."

" I can take care of myself," Josh replied, his voice breaking.

" No," Max said sternly. " You won't be able to. These men weren't trained. The next men they send will be. You won't be able to fight them off."

Josh knew Max was right but he didn't want to admit it.

" Your father..." Max began to say but was abruptly cut off by Josh.

" My Father?" Josh questioned. " How do you know of him?"

" Everyone knows what the infamous Jake Sully did on Pandora," Max began again, hoping that Josh would not interrupt him. " Besides that, while I was on Pandora, yes I was on Pandora for some time, I was an Avatar Technician. Your father was one of the most inquisitive and reckless people that I knew. The RDA is saying they think that the capture of Hell's Gate was an inside job. They're right. You are looking at its grand architect. I was your father's man on the inside. Of course you probably know the rest. Anyway I was given the option but I wanted to come back here because I knew of you. Your father talked about you all the time and how he wished he could see you one more time. He had asked me why I had wanted to go back. I told him I had family back here on Earth. I have none. I came to find you and bring you to Pandora. When I left he was sad to see me go but he has no idea I'm coming back, let alone that you are coming with me."

" He's alive?" Josh asked. " The RDA told mother and I that he was dead."

" He was alive when I left," Max replied. " But with Pandora being one of the most dangerous planets known to man, I do not know if he is still alive."

Max did not say anything of Neytiri and the fact that Neytiri would never let Jake die. E thought it best to keep Josh in the dark as it were just as Jake had wanted.

" As for the RDA," Max continued, after seeing the look of hope cross Josh's face. "They are a bunch of lying snakes. They will never tell the truth. They branded your father a traitor because he obviously helped the Na'vi, whom the RDA called mindless savages. The Na'vi are not mindless savages. They are more intelligent than any of us. And your father realized that and fought to protect them. He fell in love with Pandora. He was a great leader and united the clans together. Thus united they threw off the yoke of the RDA. He saved Pandora and they branded him a traitor to his race."

Josh thought that he had been blown away before, but this didn't even come close. Everything the RDA had told him was a lie. They had lied not only to him but they had lied to the world. They had turned the entire world against his father through their lies.

" How did you come back if you helped him?" Josh asked.

" The RDA still doesn't know I helped him," Max replied grinning. " One person knows of what I did. His name is Parker Selfridge. He used to run Hell's Gate. But we have an agreement. He doesn't say anything about what I did and I don't tell the world that he approved the attack on Hometree. If he tries to tell anyone in the RDA, I'm going down swinging. He'll be joining me in prison."

Max paused before continuing.

" I'm going back to Pandora. There is nothing left on Earth for me anymore. And from the looks of it, you have nothing left as well. Will you come with me?"

Josh looked at his mother, who looked finally at peace. He remembered her saying that he was destined to go to Pandora and that he should find the people whom his father had trusted to help him. Besides that, there was nothing left on Earth for him.

" Yes," Josh replied. " I will go with you. Like you said, there is nothing left here for me. And if there is a chance that my father is still alive, count me in."

Max thought for a second he could see the fire that had been in Jake's eyes flare in Josh's for the briefest of seconds. His would be a new start for the both of them. The beginning of a new life, one away from Earth and its dying inhabitants. No, this life would begin on the lush, virgin world of Pandora.


End file.
